Family tour to Morocco

Interview with a tour leader on this trip

Responsible travel: Family tour to Morocco

Environment

Responsible mission: As adventure travellers we relish and celebrate the diversity of the world. We also recognise our obligation to protect the environments that we explore. Our aim is to tread lightly, whilst contributing to maintain the world’s culture and nature, and most importantly to engage the help of all our customers to utilise the potential of tourism as a tool to aid sustainable development. We believe that responsible travellers are welcome in the places that they visit.

On this trip: We travel in small groups (max 16 people) so have a minimal impact on the environment as we go. On this trip we use a local agent from Morocco, locally owned hotels, local leaders. Not only does this mean that more of the money we generate stays within the community, but their local knowledge and expertise helps us to better understand the environment in which we are travelling, whilst reinforcing within the local community that preserving this environment is both important and worthwhile

Helping to minimise negative impact: All of our customers are invited to offset their international flight emissions. Contributions go to the Blue Ventures Carbon Offset program, a non-profit organisation which provides solar stoves for subsistence communities in Madagascar, benefiting the people and protecting the environment. We also contribute £2 per person towards offsetting of your in-country travel. We fully offset all emissions from our staff travel and run an energy efficient office.

Giving something back: We have a foundation that collects the funds that you donate to us to support our projects. All our customers are invited to make a £1 per person contribution to the foundation at the time of booking. We will match every contribution that you make with our own £1. You as a customer choose where these funds are used from a shortlist of nominated projects – so it really is YOUR foundation.

Partnerships: As a company we support The Travel Foundation, a UK charity that has been established to promote responsible travel practises throughout the whole of the travel industry. We also work with a number of charity partners who work in the destinations that we visit; including Friends of Conservation and Born Free Foundation. We partner with many small grassroots projects throughout the destinations that we visit - they all share our responsible vision.

Community

We are supporting the Girls Boarding House - Central High Atlas, in the Bougmez valley by donating £2.20 per traveller to Morocco towards this organisation.By working closely with our local agent we do our best to support and encourage the local schools and projects in all the areas of Morocco you visit. We strongly advise against giving directly to the children in the street as this encourages begging. We prefer to support local well run organisations and projects which are of greater long term benefit.Pax can take pens, pencils, books etc and group leader will assist them in visiting a local school where possible.

The story of the provider of Family tour to Morocco

As the number one provider of family adventures in the UK, this company have been designing and running itineraries for active families with a sense of adventure since the mid 1990s. The premise is simple; small groups of between 3-5 families, fixed itineraries, family friendly activities and accommodation and group leaders with the knowledge and expertise to interact with and inspire every member of the family. Immerse yourselves in local cultures, try traditional foods, meet the local people and most of all, experience the world together. You don’t have to stop travelling just because you have kids, take them with you and give the entire family the holiday of a lifetime!

family adventures

Family tour to Morocco

You can trust Responsible Travel reviews because, unlike many other schemes, reviews can ONLY be written by people who we have verified have been on the holidays. In addition, we don't run these holidays ourselves - our only interest is giving you the best independent advice.

I am reborn! Simply the best holiday I have ever been on

Some great stories to tell the grandchildren. Would recommend to a friend

Very enjoyable

It was OK

A bit disappointing really

Reviewed 24 Feb 2014 by Meriel Griffiths

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The camping trip into the Sahara Desert and the nights at Tazzarine Campsite - home of Said and his family.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Ensure that if you order sleeping bags from the organiser whilst still in the UK, that you have this confirmed in writing.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Very much so - local guides, staff and hosts were used wherever possible, and (particularly in Tazzarine and the Sahara) this contributed hugely to the experience.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Absolutely brilliant!

Reviewed 22 Nov 2013 by Tania Knight

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The most memorable part of the holiday was camping in the desert and sleeping under the stars! Amazing!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Hold on to some change for toilets.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes. This trip takes you to the locals. During the trip we stayed in a morrocan home whilst the children slept in tents outside. We got to meet the family and the children.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

This was an amazing experience, although it was our second visit to Morocco. The trip was suitable for all ages and it was culturally challenging. I would recommend the trip for families.

Reviewed 03 Nov 2013 by Susan Gregory

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Trekking with camels in the desert and camping under the stars

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Take travel sickness pills, especially if your children prone to travel sickness!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

Yes to local people benefitting, no to the other two.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

A great fun family adventure. Kids loved it and didn't mind the travelling.

Reviewed 13 Nov 2013 by Kate Hurst

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The desert.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Travel sickness tablets. Some of the kids (not ours) in our group were travel sick but had no tablets which meant that on one of the days the driving time was made longer.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?

No.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

We thought the overall holiday was very good. Our guide was friendly and very good with the children. On one of the nights he shared some of the history of Morrocco which was very informative and interesting. He tried very hard to accomodate all requests and was attentive most of the time.

However, at times it did seem that the holiday did not live up to some of the promises made in the brochure. The 2nd and 4th nights, which had promised to be camping in a Bedouin-style fixed camp was not that at all but a compound where all the adults were in proper bedrooms, inside a house!

The first camel ride was only an hour long, which was hardly any time at all, especially as then we just spent the afternoon hanging out in the desert filling time. The indication in the brochure was that the evening in the desert camp would be one of being entertained with singing by the camel drivers - actually we didn't see them at all, they stayed in the background, our guide served the meal, and as soon as we finished eating it was lights out!

The driving on day 5 was much more than just 4 hours, even taking into account that some of the younger children in the group were travel sick, causing us to have to pull over for them at times. (As this is a holiday of strangers travelling together, it would be good to ensure that everyone is aware of how much travelling is involved and recommend that travel sickness tablets are taken. To have an extended journey time when people you don't know have travel sick kids, it is frustrating). The guided tour of Marrakech was a waste of time, taking us to a palace, where minimal information was shared, and then to a tourist gift shop, one assumes owned by a family member of his! If we had realised how uninformative the guide would be, we would have used the 2 hours to explore independently and seem a lot more.

Lastly, we were VERY annoyed that our guide had not arranged for us to be checked onto our flight home on line, in advance, as when we got to the airport the airline company allocated us seats which were not together. We had seats where our 9 year old and 12 year old were sitting on their own! As we were one of the first in the queue to check in, we asked for the airline to change our seats, only to be told that they couldn't as other people had booked their seats in advance and we had to have whatever seats were left. Very unsatisfactory.

Reviewed 12 Apr 2010 by Alison Williams

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Seeing the excitement on the children’s faces when they got to ride donkeys in the oasis and the camel riding on the beach.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

There is a lot of time spent in the mini bus travelling between destinations, great for adults who want to see the countryside but bring things for the kids to entertain themselves with on the bus, bring children’s medicines for travel sickness, and diarrohea and hand wipes!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes.

Reviewed 27 Apr 2009 by Ferne Mele

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Camping out in the desert, and our tea party on a dune at sunset.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Pack very lightly, but be prepared for different kinds of weather.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

I feel we did little harm to the environment and we contributed somewhat to the local economies.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent, and we all loved our knowledgeable, kid-friendly guide Noureddine.

Reviewed 18 Feb 2008 by Sibyl Ruth

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

A terrific thunderstorm before dawn in Tazzarine, while sleeping in a Berber style tent. It was the first time for four months that the town had had any rain. In the morning there were hailstorms outside our tent, and flash flooding in what had been a dry river bed.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Although there are opportunities to sit and admire the scenery, you need quite a lot of energy to make the most of the week.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, in the sense that we had Moroccan rather than European guides. And also in that the money we spent while travelling around helped local businesses and traders. But I was aware that there we were surrounded by poverty and our presence could do little to transform the lives of the least privileged people.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

My husband, my daughter and I all had a wonderful time. It was really good for my daughter in particular to visit an Islamic country. (She has Muslim schoolfriends.) Hearing French spoken also helped her to realise that there are real advantages in learning to speak another language.

My husband and I found Moroccan people very friendly. The desert and mountain landscapes are spectacular. And Marrakech is an extraordinary city.

Reviewed 09 Nov 2008 by Kathryn Bohrson

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Riding camels in the desert. Walking through the souks of Marakesh.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

It can be cooler and wetter than you would guess in October. Your Berber tent will probably leak. Check your tarp and be careful where you place your gear. Be prepared for motion sickness - erratic driving and winding mountain roads.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Benefited local people - only slightly. Minimized impact - somewhat. Still lots of fossil fuels consumed and lots of plastic water bottles generated.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Good. We were working with a very tight window for a tour and this fit our schedule perfectly. Accommodations and meals were OK. In general though, we would prefer to travel a little less frequently and book a higher end tour.

Reviewed 07 Apr 2008 by Caroline Miskin

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Highlight was the camel riding and camping in the desert.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Consider the flights carefully - the standard flights offered with the trip had some of the group arriving at 1am and having to meet at 8am the next morning ready to go. They also had a 5 hour wait in Casablanca on the way back as the flights were not direct. Those of us who arranged our own flights got on much better even though we had to make our own way to Ouarzazate from Marrakech. If you really want to see Marrakech consider adding on a day as 1 day was not really enough. Be prepared for a lot of confusion over tips. Make sure you take out enough cash in Ouarzazate to last you until Marrakech.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Very good - we loved all the things we did. Would have liked a more characterful hotel in Marrakech.

Reviewed 02 Nov 2006 by Sarah James

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Seeing the Milky Way and shooting stars for the 1st time ever whilst in the Sahara.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Buy some duty free booze to take in! Make sure the bank gives you small notes; it was really difficult getting change from almost everywhere even with a 50 Riad note. Don't go out in Marrakech after 6pm if female & under 50. (Simply horrible place - we were followed, threatened and groped even with men in the party and children in tow).

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Certainly brought cash into the country and some employment. Didn't realise quite how much tipping we'd need to do.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Overall *** (because of the horrible atmosphere in Marrakech, really soured the holiday).

Date

Prices (Adult,pp)

Basis

Status

11 Apr 2015

£ 854

including UK flights

Departure Guaranteed

17 Oct 2015

£ 889

including UK flights

Available

24 Oct 2015

£ 889

including UK flights

5 spaces left

19 Dec 2015

£ 889

including UK flights

Available

26 Dec 2015

£ 889

including UK flights

Departure Guaranteed

13 Feb 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

20 Feb 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

19 Mar 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

26 Mar 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

02 Apr 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

15 Oct 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

22 Oct 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

17 Dec 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

24 Dec 2016

£ 879

including UK flights

Available

Small group family holiday

This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families travelling in a group of up to 20 people (3-5 families). The trips are great value, often with lots of included activities or sightseeing and some meals (dependent on the itinerary). They are created by people with families, for people with families, and are a great way for you and your children to meet new people and discover the world together! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves.

On these Family Adventures, families of two will be roomed in a twin room, parties of three will be roomed in a triple room, fours will be roomed in two twins and families of five will have a triple and a twin, etc. This operator tends to use small, locally owned properties throughout their trips and accommodation will be en suite unless specified otherwise. It will be clean, functional, well located for your adventures and most importantly, family friendly. There will be swimming opportunities nearby where ever possible, either in pools or the sea. Some trips contain more adventurous overnights such as jungle stays, camping in the desert, sleeping on deck of traditional style boats or a night in a local homestay – please be aware that facilities will be basic on these occasions if your trip contains these aspects. All accommodation is named prior to travel.

Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip.

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